Bear Naked, Gone Native, and Crunchy Granola

What exactly do we expect from our granola? Yes, this is a rhetorical question, but one that you should carefully mull over next time you find yourself poised in front of a cereal bowl. It is fair to say we expect a dose of nutrition and wholesomeness that a banal bowl of cereal can't successfully offer, while not being too "crunchy" or "hippie." We expect something sweet and toothsome, without the high caloric index, high sodium, and high sugar content that comes with so many breakfast foods. We expect to be won over, and to experience great things that can guiltlessly become part of our habitual breakfast routine. In short, we expect about as much from our granola as we do from our political candidates, which may be way too much.

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Yes, we are way too hard on our granola (as sometimes our granola may be too hard on us) and we need to reset our expectations and enjoy the imperfections and idiosyncrasies of this breakfast offering. With that caveat out of the way, I present to you a modest (but honest) evaluation of the new Bear Naked Native granolas. Bear Naked granola is neither a new entry into the granola market, nor are they a conventional one. Starting out from humble means in 2002, Bear Naked marketed itself as contemporary, sleek, and athletic in direct contrast to the woodsy, back to nature themed marketing ubiquitous on so many boxes of granola. Bear Naked granola is packed in vertical plastic pouches lacking any sign of rolling fields, farms, or other of natures signifiers. With their new product line, Bear Naked Native, which is almost indistinguishable in design from their original product line, takes you on a virtual foraging trip to gather exotic vittles like Agave nectar and mangoes from Mexico, or Goji berries and black currants from Asia.

The Yumberry Goji Currant, one of the new Bear Naked Native granolas, is an immediately likeable granola option. Littered with Goji berries, which are touted as the "now" superfood for their antioxidant properties, tart black currants, and something called "yumberry juice" (which I verified was from a berry, often referred to as a far less appetizing "wax berry" indigenous to China) and this variety is really all a granola could ever hope to be. It is sweet, salty, oaty, fruity, toothy, and seemingly healthy with lots of whole grains and no preservatives or high fructose corn syrup.

The other option in the Native product line is the Mango Agave Almond granola, which is nearly as good, but an obvious runner up to the Yumberry Goji Currant. Sure, the Mango Agave Almond holds all the qualifications of a fine granola (wholesome, fruity, etc) but there was something slightly amiss with the blend of ingredients. The mango pieces tend to be a bit too leathery and chewy, while the praline-like almonds are positively too sweet and crunchy for my taste. In combination, they create a formidable texture challenge that reminded me of an old Simpson's episode touting "nuts and gum, together at last." Not necessarily a bad thing, but likely a bit taxing for most casual consumers and those with discount dental work.

All in all, Bear Naked Native does a fine job with this version of granola 2.0 (or maybe it is 3.0?) and serves up a breakfast option, that may not please everyone, but is certainly worth a shot.

Bear Naked Native granolas are priced at about $5 per 12 oz bag and are available at Ralphs, Jewel, Publix, QFC and Whole Foods Markets.